Călărași (Romanian pronunciation: [kələˈraʃʲ] ) is a town in Moldova, founded in 1848.

Călărași
Kalarash,[1] Tuzora[2]
Călărași railway station
Călărași railway station
Flag of Călărași
Coat of arms of Călărași
Călărași is located in Moldova
Călărași
Călărași
Location within Moldova
Coordinates: 47°15′N 28°18′E / 47.250°N 28.300°E / 47.250; 28.300[1]
Country Moldova
CountyCălărași District
Area
 • Total423 km2 (163 sq mi)
Population
 • Total10,808
 • Density26/km2 (66/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+2 (EET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+3 (EEST)
ClimateDfb

Long ago, the word "călărași" meant "horsemen" (today the word is "călăreți"). The name of Călărași was inspired by a legend which tells that once, when Stephen III of Moldavia fought the Ottomans, he ordered a regiment of horsemen to stand guard. They fought the Ottomans, sacrificed themselves and, finally, won the battle.

Călărași was historically a Hassidic Jewish town: 4,593, or 89% of the population, were Jewish occupants in 1897.[2] In 1905, 60 Jews were killed, 300 were injured and over 200 houses were burned down as part of the wave of Russian pogroms. Many of the survivors fled to nearby Chișinău or emigrated to Romania, Austria, Palestine and the United States.[4] In 1930, 3,631 residents (76% of the population) were Jewish. The Jewish community had welfare organizations, a hospital, a Talmud Torah and a library among other community facilities.[2]

In 2018, Dumitru Grosei released an ethnographic documentary in Romanian called "Călărași – A Land by the Gate of Heaven" focused on the town's cultural history and folklore.[5]

The city is the administrative center of Călărași District; it also administers one village, Oricova.

Demographics

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According to the 2014 census, the population of Călărași amounted to 10,808 inhabitants, a decrease compared to the previous census in 2004, when 14,660 inhabitants were registered. Of these, 5,105 were men and 5,703 were women.[6]

Ethnic composition of Călărași (2014)[7]

  Moldovans* (78.09%)
  Romanians (15.66%)
  Russians (2.76%)
  Ukrainians (2.36%)
  Others (1.13%)
Linguistic composition of Călărași (2014)[8]
  Moldovan* (51.83%)
  Romanian (41.11%)
  Russian (5.44%)
  Ukrainian (0.90%)
  Other (0.72%)

Footnotes:

* There is an ongoing controversy regarding the ethnic identification of Moldovans and Romanians.

* Moldovan language is one of the two local names for the Romanian language in Moldova. In 2013, the Constitutional Court of Moldova interpreted that Article 13 of the constitution is superseded by the Declaration of Independence,[9] thus giving official status to the name Romanian.[10][11]

Historical population
YearPop.±%
1959 5,725—    
1970 13,918+143.1%
1979 16,207+16.4%
1989 18,326+13.1%
2004 14,660−20.0%
201410,808−26.3%

International relations

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Twin towns – Sister cities

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Călărași is twinned with:

References

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  1. ^ a b Kenvin, Helene. "LOCATION OF KALARASH". kehilalinks.jewishgen.org. JewishGen. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
  2. ^ a b c "Kalarash". www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org. The Gale Group. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
  3. ^ Results of Population and Housing Census in the Republic of Moldova in 2014: "Characteristics – Population (population by communes, religion, citizenship)" (XLS). National Bureau of Statistics of the Republic of Moldova. 2017. Retrieved 1 May 2017.
  4. ^ Yaakov Chiplester (1906). "The Terrible Bloody Kalarasher Pogrom". JewishGen. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
  5. ^ "CĂLĂRAȘI - A LAND BY THE GATE OF HEAVEN - won the Zlatna IEFF 2018 Trophy!". Alternative Cinema. 13 August 2018. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
  6. ^ "2014 Moldova Census of Population and Housing". National Bureau of Statistics of the Republic of Moldova. (in Romanian, Russian, and English)
  7. ^ "2014 Moldova Census of Population and Housing". National Bureau of Statistics of the Republic of Moldova. (in Romanian, Russian, and English)
  8. ^ "2014 Moldova Census of Population and Housing". National Bureau of Statistics of the Republic of Moldova. (in Romanian, Russian, and English)
  9. ^ "Hotărâre Nr. 36 din 05.12.2013 privind interpretarea articolului 13 alin. (1) din Constituție în corelație cu Preambulul Constituției și Declarația de Independență a Republicii Moldova (Sesizările nr. 8b/2013 și 41b/2013)" (in Romanian). Constitutional Court of Moldova. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 20 December 2013. 124. ... Prin urmare, Curtea consideră că prevederea conținută în Declarația de Independență referitoare la limba română ca limbă de stat a Republicii Moldova prevalează asupra prevederii referitoare la limba moldovenească conținute în articolul 13 al Constituției. [124. ... Therefore, the Court considers that the provision contained in the Declaration of Independence regarding the Romanian language as the state language of the Republic of Moldova prevails over the provision regarding the Moldovan language contained in Article 13 of the Constitution.]
  10. ^ "Moldovan court rules official language is 'Romanian', replacing Soviet-flavored 'Moldovan'". Fox News. Associated Press. 5 December 2013. Archived from the original on 9 December 2013. Retrieved 7 December 2013.
  11. ^ "Chisinau Recognizes Romanian As Official Language". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 5 December 2013. Archived from the original on 23 September 2016. Retrieved 11 March 2014.

Further reading

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47°15′N 28°18′E / 47.250°N 28.300°E / 47.250; 28.300